Personal health management device, method and system

ABSTRACT

The present invention generally provides personal health management devices, and corresponding systems and methods. The personal health management device generally include an electronic controller and at least one memory device which cooperate to store at least temporarily weight management data for managing the weight of at least one user, such as a user&#39;s weight, a user&#39;s body fat percentage, exercise data, food consumption data, or a combination thereof, obtained from at least one component for obtaining such data, such as a keypad, a body fat percentage sensor for measuring a user&#39;s body fat percentage, a scale for measuring a user&#39;s weight, an exercise machine, a food scale, etc, and a communications unit for communicating the data obtained to a healthcare provider for monitoring progress with respect to a weight management program over a communications network.

This application is a continuation of application Ser. No. 10/913,140,titled PERSONAL HEALTH MANAGEMENT DEVICE, METHOD AND SYSTEM, which wasfiled on Aug. 6, 2004, and claims the priority of application Ser. No.60/493,904, titled PERSONAL HEALTH MANAGEMENT DEVICE, METHOD AND SYSTEM,which was filed on Aug. 7, 2003, the disclosures of both of which areincorporated herein by reference in its entirety.

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION

The present invention relates generally to an interactive weightmanagement device, method and system. This application incorporates byreference the entire disclosures of application Ser. No. 09/975,097,titled MEDICAL MONITORING DEVICE AND SYSTEM, filed Oct. 11, 2001,application No. 60/1,562,877, titled MEDICAL MONITORING SYSTEM filedApr. 16, 2004, Application Ser. No. 60/487,471, titled MEDICALMONITORING/CONSUMABLES TRACKING DEVICE, filed Jul. 15, 2003, andapplication Ser. No. to be determined, titled MEDICALMONITORING/CONSUMABLES TRACKING DEVICE, filed Jul. 15, 2004.

In developed countries, there is much interest in personal health andfitness, ho ever as countries become industrialized there is a trendtowards a sedentary lifestyle. Currently, there are estimated 1.7billion people in the world that are considered overweight or obese,including more than half of all Americans, Canadians, Australian andBritons. By overweight, it is meant that the subject has exceededacceptable weight range and/or percent body fat generally considered ashealthy determined by factors including, but not necessarily limited, toage, height, sex, and body type. Being overweight or obese contributesin development of certain conditions, such as diabetes, heart disease,stroke, hypertension, osteoarthritis, sleep apnea and other breathingproblems, some forms of cancer, high blood cholesterol, andpsychological disorders such as depression. In one poll, more than halfof American consumers said they have dieted or are currently dieting.Americans spend $33 billion annually on the numerous weight-lossproducts and services available to consumers, yet more than half of theUnited States population is overweight.

BRIEF SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION

The invention provides for offering, capturing, etc., from individuals,data related to one or more aspects of personal health, such as bodyweight, body fat percentage, etc., providing the data to a storagedevice remote from where the data was obtained and providing messages toor interacting with the respective individual relating to the aspect ofpersonal health and the data. For example, in an application of theinvention to weight management and/or fitness, and individual providesdata for use in weight management, such as weight, body fat percentage,and/or body messages (e.g., messages related to body measurements, suchas height, etc.) via a communication link _(t)o a weight managementservice or healthcare provider, such as doctors, nurses, personaltrainers, nutritionists, dietician, or any other person or entity thatprovides or may otherwise assist a user with a weight managementprogram, collectively “healthcare providers,” who stores the data andprovides messages to the individual, such as encouragement or requestinginformation on that individual's recent food intake and/or physicalactivity. The healthcare provider may process the data and use it formany purposes, including statistical purposes and tracking anindividual's progress, etc. The invention provides devices, systems andmethods for achieving the foregoing and other functionality describedherein.

In one aspect of the present invention, a device is provided to monitor,offer, collect, etc. and communicate weight management data for managingthe weight of at least one user, such as body weight or body fatpercentage data. In one embodiment, the device is portable and providesinteractive communication between users and health care providers over anetwork.

In one embodiment, the device includes a display, keypad, an electroniccontroller, a wireless module and/or communication unit, and anelectronic memory device to store data. The device communicates withmeasurement devices to obtain measured weight management data. This maybe done over an entirely wireless link, a wired link or a combination ofboth. The device also preferably communicates over a network, such asthe Internet, to authorized parties, such as a healthcare provider(which may also function as a partner to provide the inventive method oraspect thereof or related thereto), which stores the information andprovides access to the information for authorized parties. The wirelessmodule and/or communication unit may include an internal modem, wirelesstransmitter/receiver combination, etc. A user may input data or otherinformation into the keypad to store to the device and/or communicate tothe healthcare provider. The device may also be connected to a mobiletelephone or a computer, wirelessly, by wire, or both.

In one embodiment, the device includes a sensor, to measure weightmanagement data, such as body fat percentage.

In one embodiment, the invention provides means for communicatinguser-focused messages to the device, in response to data communicated bya user, such as a weight measurement, from the healthcare provider tothe user. For example, the messages may be words of encouragement orprovide menus or exercise programs. The device also provides means forthe user to communicate with the healthcare provider and/orinteractively respond to the healthcare provider's messages. Forexample, the messages from the healthcare provider may prompt forinformation relating to food intake, physical exercise, etc.

In another aspect of the invention, a first personal health managementdevice is provided that includes an electronic controller and at leastone memory device which cooperate to store at least temporarily weightmanagement data for managing the weight of at least one user obtainedfrom at least one component for obtaining such data, and acommunications unit for communicating the data obtained to a healthcareprovider for monitoring progress with respect to a weight managementprogram over a network. The communications unit may communicate the datato a base unit, e.g., wirelessly, which communicates the data over thenetwork via a wireless and/or wired link or lings. Alternatively, thecommunications unit may communicate the data directly to the network.

Various types of weight management data may be used to monitor theuser's progress, such as a user's weight, a user's body fat percentage,exercise data, food consumption data, or a combination thereof.Similarly, various components may be used to obtain weight managementdata, such as a keypad, a body fat percentage sensor for measuring auser's body fat percentage, a scale for measuring a user's weight, anexercise machine, a food scale, etc., which components may be integratedwithin the device or within a second device communicatively enabled toprovide the data obtained to the personal health management device.

In one embodiment, the personal health management device includes adisplay device for displaying messages communicated to the device fromthe healthcare provider in response to the weight management datacommunicated to the healthcare provider. The device may further allowthe user to interactively respond to messages communicated thereto fromthe health care provider.

In another aspect of the invention, a personal health management systemis provided that includes at least one computer which can communicatewith at least one personal health management device over a communicationnetwork. The personal health management device is generally capable ofobtaining weight management data, such as a user's weight, a user's bodyfat percentage, exercise data, and a users food consumption data, thatis obtained from at least one component for obtaining such data, andcommunicating the data obtained to the at least one computer formonitoring progress with respect to a weight management program.

In one embodiment, the at least one computer communicates a message tothe personal health management device in response to weight managementdata received therefrom. Various types of messages may be communicated,including messages that include words of encouragement. In oneembodiment, the message includes information regarding at least one of amenu or exercise program that has been adjusted based on the weightmanagement data received from the user.

In another aspect of the invention, a method for managing personalhealth is provided that includes receiving weight management data formanaging the weight of at least one user, such as a user's weight, auser's body fat percentage, exercise data, and a user's food consumptiondata, over a network, and monitoring the user's progress with respect toa weight management program. The data is for at least one user isgenerally obtained with a personal health management device, In oneembodiment, the method includes communicating, a message to the personalhealth management device in response to data received therefrom, such asmessages including information regarding at least one of a menu orexercise program adjusted based on the weight management data received.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

The invention is illustrated in the figures of the accompanying drawingswhich are meant to be exemplary and not limiting, in which likereferences are intended to refer to like or corresponding parts, and inwhich:

FIG. 1 is a diagram showing a view of a personal health managementsystem according to one embodiment of the invention.

FIG. 2 is a block diagram of a personal health management deviceaccording to one embodiment of the invention.

FIG. 3 is a block diagram of a personal health management systemaccording to another embodiment of the invention.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION

A preferred embodiment of a personal health management device, methodand system provides for communication between a user and a healthcareprovider with respect to weigh management and/or physical fitness.Preferred embodiments of the invention are now described with referenceto the drawings.

Referring to FIG. 1, in one embodiment of the invention, a personalhealth management device 10 is provided that generally communicates datafor use in managing the weight of at least one user in a weightmanagement program, such as weight, body fat, or a combination thereof,captured or obtained therewith with a healthcare provider 40 or partner30, over the Internet or other communications network 20. The device 10is preferably portable and includes means to monitor and communicatedata related to weight management, such as body weight or body fatpercentage. Referring to FIG. 2, in one embodiment, the device 10preferably includes at least one of a display device 108, keypad orother type of input device 101, an electronic controller 102, a wirelessmodule and/or communication unit 110, and an electronic memory to storedata 106. The display 108 may be an LCD screen or other display known inthe art. The input device 101, e.g., the keypad, provides a user themeans to input data or information into the device, and may include anykeypad or data input interface known in the art. Alternatively, thedisplay and keypad may be provided together in a single interactivetouch screen.

The wireless module and/or communication unit 110 generally provideswireless communication between the device 10 and the healthcare provider40 or partner 30 over the network 20, thereby allowing a remote user tocommunicate with a healthcare provider 40 or partner 30 regarding aweight management program. The wireless module and/or communicationsunit 110 may utilize an internal modem, wireless transmitter/receivercombination or cellular technologies. The electronic memory 106 may beany storage facility, such as a microchip, to provide data storage. Inother embodiments, the device 10 may communicate over a wired link to atelephone line, computer, PDA, cell phone, or any other communicativelyenabled device.

Data may be obtained with the device 10 with appropriate components forobtaining weight management data, such as scale or other means formeasuring user weights, a body fat percentage sensor/device, keypad,etc., integrated within the device 10. In one embodiment, the data isobtained from at least one other or second device 50 separate from thedevice 10 each separate device including at least one component formeasuring or otherwise obtaining the relevant data. In this instance,the wireless module and/or communications unit 110 also providescommunication between the device 10 and a second device 50, such as ascale, ruler, caliper, etc., which measures or otherwise determinesweight management data for managing the weight of a user, e.g., weight,height or any other body dimension, etc. In another embodiment, thedevice 10 and/or the second device 50 includes one or more sensors 104to measure weight management data, such as a sensor that uses anelectric current to measure body fat percentage. For example, in thisinstance a user stands on a scale and the scale communicates wirelesslyor via a wired link the measurements, e.g., weight, body fat percentage,height, etc. to the device 10. Preferably, the device 10 receives themeasurements obtained by a second device 50 or sensor 104, e.g., thebody fat measurement sensor, directly in a wireless transmission,thereby eliminating the potential for human error, intentional orunintentional, and the need for a connector, other intermediary deviceor communicating device to obtain the measurement to transmit to thehealthcare provider 40 and/or partner 30.

The second device 50 may be any device used in weight managementprogram. For instance, the device 50 may be an exercise device, such asa treadmill, bicycle, universal weight station, etc., enabled to obtainexercise data and communicatively enabled to communicate the exercisedata to the communications unit 110 of the device 10. For example, atreadmill may track duration of use, speed, the user's heart rate, etc.,and communicate the exercise data to the device 10. The exercise datamay then be used to track the user's progress with an exercise programin connection with a weight management program and/or determine caloriesused, aerobic capacity, etc. The device 50 may similarly include adevice for obtaining data regarding the user's food consumption, such asbe a scale for weighing food and determining therefrom the user'scaloric intake, compliance with a suggested menu, etc.

In another embodiment, the input device 101 serves as the component forobtaining data, in which instance the user manually inputs some or allof his or her measurements, e.g., weight, fat percentage, height orother measurements, age, etc., caloric data, exercise data, etc. intothe device 10 via the input device 101, e.g., the keypad. In anotherembodiment, the device 10 is communicatively coupled to the secondmeasuring device 50, for example, with wires with an appropriate plug orcradle interface for linking the devices 10, 50, and the measurement issent to the device 10 over the wires.

Referring to FIG. 3, in one embodiment, the device 10 communicatesthrough a base or local unit 350 which, e.g., services one or moreassociated devices 10, e.g., by relationship, such as a family,household, medical group, etc, relationship, or by location, etc. Thebase station 350 beneficially allows a plurality of devices 10 tointerface with a single communicatively enabled device for communicatingdata to the remote computer, which is particularly useful. in instanceswhere a plurality of devices 10 are used in a single location, such as ahospital, a household, etc., with a limited amount of communicativelyenabled devices.

The healthcare provider 40 may be a dietician, nutritionist, physician,caregiver, personal trainer, office, home, service or other person orentity providing weight management information or weight managementservices. The partner 30 may be a third party weight managementinformation provider or data collector. For example, the partner 30 mayprovide e.g., suggested menus or exercise programs, monitor progresswith respect to a weight management program, the suggested menus, orexercise programs, and collect information related to the user's resultsbased on such menus or exercise programs and adjust the weightmanagement program, menus or exercise program appropriately.

In a preferred embodiment, a measurement of weight management data isobtained by the device 10, for example, by wireless communication from ameasuring device 50, such as a scale, or manually entered by a user, orvia a sensor 104 on the first device 10 or second device 50, asdescribed herein. Preferably, the measurement is obtained at regulartime intervals, such as daily or weekly. The measurement as well asother data discussed herein may be stored locally to the device 10storage and/or sent over the network 20 to the healthcare provider 40and/or partner 30 automatically at a given time, or pursuant to manualdirection. The data obtained may be used, for example, to chart theuser's progress with regard to the weight management program, identifyparticular sticking points, and adjust the weight management programappropriately based on the data collected.

In one embodiment, the healthcare provider 40 and/or partner 30 respondsto the sent measurement with a communication, such as a message, overthe network 20, that is delivered to the device 10. The communicationprovides interactive two-way communication between a remote user and ahealthcare provider 40 and/or partner 30 relating to weight management,exercise program, menu, etc.

The communication may be for example, a message of encouragement for aweight loss or weight gain, as compared to a previous measurement,depending on the user's weight management goals. In this case, theencouragement message may also be sent to devices belonging to membersof a group associated with the user, for example, persons in a weightloss group or community, to provide encouragement to the user and theother group members.

Also, the communication may be in the form of a questionnaire related tofor example, recent diet and exercise. The communication may also he inthe form of menus or exercise programs and may be provided directly tothe device 10, or provided in the form of a message indicating that themenu or exercise program may be obtained from a particular source, forexample, a local branch office of the healthcare provider 40 or partner30, or a particular website. The user may respond to the communication,e.g., prompts, by entering or selecting responses to the questionnaireinto the device 10, and transmitting the responses over the network 20to the healthcare provider 40 and/or partner 30, thus interactivelycommunicating remotely with a healthcare provider 40 or partner 30 toenhance a weight management program. The menus or exercise programs maybe adjusted based on the user's progress with respect to the weightmanagement program monitored with data received with the device. Forexample, if the user's progress, e.g., weight or body fat percentage hasnot changed for a consecutive period of time, the menu may be adjustedto lower caloric fat, carbohydrate, intake, etc., and/or the exerciseprogram may be adjusted to increase cardiovascular or any other type ofexercise.

1. (canceled)
 2. A monitoring system for use in managing weight of atleast one subject, the monitoring system being adapted to communicatewith a remote computer over a communications network, the monitoringsystem comprising at least one monitoring device and a local base unit,the at least one monitoring device comprising: a device which obtainsweight management data of a subject; a display device, the at least onemonitoring device being configured to display on the display deviceweight management data obtained by the weight management device andmessages based on message data; and at least one communications unitwhich wirelessly transmits weight management data to the local base unitand which receives message data from the local base unit; the at leastone monitoring device being configured to display on the display devicemessages based on message data received by the at least onecommunications unit from the local base unit; the local base unit beingconfigured to (a) receive weight management data from the at least onemonitoring device without passing through the communications network,(b) transmit weight management data received from the at least onemonitoring device over the communications network for receipt by theremote computer without the local base unit displaying the weightmanagement data received from the at least one monitoring device, (c)receive message data over the communications network provided by theremote computer, and (d) wirelessly provide message data received overthe communications network to the at least one monitoring device withoutthe local base unit displaying messages or message data received fromthe remote computer; wherein the at least one monitoring device and thelocal base unit are located on a same side of the communications networksuch that communications therebetween do not pass thorough thecommunications network and the local base unit communicates over thecommunications network with the remote computer, and the local base unitis configured to communicate with the at least one monitoring device andwith the remote computer without operation of a user interface.
 3. Thesystem of claim 2, wherein the at least one monitoring device comprisesa scale configured to obtain and display on the display device of the atleast one monitoring device weight data of a subject, and wirelesslytransmit weight data to the local base unit.
 4. The system of claim 2,wherein the at least one monitoring device comprises (a) a scaleconfigured to obtain and display on the display device of the at leastone monitoring device weight data of a subject, and wirelessly transmitweight data to the local base unit, and (b) at least one other deviceconfigured to obtain weight management data other than subject weightand wirelessly transmit weight management data to the local base unit.5. The system of claim 4, wherein the at least one other devicecomprises one or more of an exercise device, a body fat measurementdevice and a food scale.